Forest eagle owl

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Context (TOI): Maharastra Pench Tiger Reserve reports the first photographic record of the forest eagle owl, also known as the spot-bellied eagle owl.

Earlier, one pair was sighted in the Mansinghdeo Wildlife Sanctuary Pench Maharashtra.
These nocturnal birds have also been reported from Madhya Pradesh Pench and Kanha Tiger Reserve.
This species is considered part of a superspecies with the barred eagle owl, which looks quite similar but is allopatric in distribution.

A Superspecies is an informal rank for a species complex around one “representative” species. Species forming a superspecies must have allopatric distributions.
Allopatric speciation is a mode of speciation that occurs when biological populations become geographically isolated from each other to an extent that prevents or interferes with gene flow.

Appearance: Greyish-brown bird with dark, coarse brown colouration over the back and upper wings.
Distribution: Himalayan foothills and the Western Ghats.
Habitat: Dense evergreen and moist deciduous forests, usually near water, in wet temperate and riparian forests. Also hunts in scrub, bamboo jungle, thin deciduous forest, and near edges of clearings.
Unique calls: Low-frequency calls for various purposes, including communication, territorial defence, and attracting mates. Low-frequency calls enable them to communicate further across long distances through dense vegetation. They also utter a mournful, mewing scream.